Friends Forever: Part 4
by angelkittysmith
Summary: My best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald host more outings and invite my friends Sarah, James, and Henri, including Last Christmas, the Carnegie Science Center, Sarah's birthday party, a discussion group at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill with dinner afterwards, and a Christmas party. NOTE: I do NOT own Liberty's Kids or Wizards. Disney Channel and DiC do.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Last Christmas

The next day, I met up with Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Loew's Theater in the Waterfront to see the new Christmas movie _Last Christmas. _"Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Are you going to get me anything for Christmas?" a teasing voice asked behind Sarah. Sarah turned around. It was Benedict. "Oh no, not you again," Sarah disagreed. "Since we got back together again, I demand that you buy me a Christmas gift," Benedict demanded. "No, Benedict," Sarah stated with tears in her eyes. "You do NOT deserve a gift!" "Hey, stop bullying my best friend and get back to your work," Alex stated, looking Benedict in the eyes. "Also, you are not a part of this group, and even if you were, I do NOT tolerate bullying or any bad behavior in the group. So, leave my friend alone and get lost!" "Thanks for standing up for me, Alex," Sarah thanked. "You're welcome, Sarah," Alex replied. James packed a bag of popcorn and sodas for us to drink, while Alex, Justin, and Max bought snacks from inside the theater. The movie was based on the famous George Michael song "Last Christmas", and followed an aspiring woman named Kate, who had a dream to perform on Broadway. During part of the movie, Alex and I snuggled under Sarah's blanket. After the movie, we went to Red Robin for dinner as planned. "That was a great Christmas movie, Justin!" James exclaimed. "It got me into the Christmas spirit. Thanks again for bringing us here!" "No problem, James," Justin replied. "It was kind of like the Christmas music we performed in the fall and the spring music we performed in the spring at our senior band concerts." "So, did you like the movie, Henri?" Max asked. "Absolutely, Max," Henri replied. "It got me into the Christmas spirit." "Do you have a desire to work at that new MSG Academy music school in Turtle Creek?" James asked Justin. "It's possible, but we may have to wait a while," Justin replied. "So, I hear your 30th birthday is coming up," Alex pointed out. "Do you want anything special?" "Of course I would," Sarah replied. "Well, I will surprise you with something you like at your birthday party at Monroeville Mall in 2 weeks," Alex told Sarah. "I have been wanting to get Sarah a winter coat, since that was what she wanted," I told Alex. "I still would like to surprise you with a very unique gift," Alex stated. First, Alex brought us an appetizer of chips and salsa, and she and her guy friends also ordered milkshakes with their dinners. I ordered a lightened bacon cheeseburger, Sarah ordered a Simply Grilled Chicken sandwich, James ordered a Royal Red Robin burger, Henri ordered a Smoke and Pepper burger, Alex ordered a Simply Grilled Chicken salad, Justin ordered a Whiskey River BBQ burger, and Max ordered a Southern Charm burger. We all ordered steak fries with our burgers, and I ordered a freckled lemonade to drink. After dinner was over, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Carnegie Science Center

The next day, I met up with Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Carnegie Science Center in the North Side. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I thought that it would be a great day to go to the Carnegie Science Center because of all the great exhibits," Alex told all of us. "I personally think that it is better than going on a hike in Frick Park," Sarah stated. "Yeah, we should wait until springtime for another hike when it is nicer outside," Alex agreed. "The thing I like best about the Carnegie Science Center is all of the different exhibits," Sarah pointed out. "I know," I agreed. "Don't they have a lot?" "It also gives me an opportunity to try new things, similar to when I took gym class for the first time back in middle school," Sarah told us. "Did you not like gym class at first, Sarah?" Alex asked. "No, Alex," Sarah stated. "I didn't." "Did you know that I didn't like science class at first, either?" Alex asked Sarah. "Now that you told me, I did not know that." "Especially studying for an AP science exam my senior year of high school," Alex added. "Good thing that we have wonderful museums like the Carnegie Science Center." "Whatever happened to you working at one of the public museums?" Sarah asked Alex. "It just didn't work out very well, since it was too much stress for me to handle," Alex explained. "What was so stressful about your job, Alex?" Sarah asked. "I just argued with my boss, and it was just eating up a lot of my spare time, Sarah," Alex continued to explain. We started with the first floor, where there were boat exhibits, water exhibits, studying water animals, and even pretending to be a weather forecaster on WTAE. Next, we went to the second floor, where there were exhibits such as the Miniature Railroad and Village, Space Place, and of course, roboworld. "James, this is my favorite exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center," Justin pointed out. "Really, Justin?" James asked. "I like the roboworld exhibit, too. Do you want to challenge me to a game of air hockey?" "Okay," Justin replied. James and Justin both played air hockey against an electric robot, and there were other exhibits on how different parts of our body worked. We learned about music and vibration with balls in different colors of the rainbow, including red for Alex, orange for Justin, yellow for Max, green for Henri, blue for James, and purple for Sarah. They were also similar to the colors my group wore the previous week. "I know the acronym ROYGBIV for all the different colors of the rainbow," I told all of my friends. "That is the order in which the colors come in to make a rainbow." Finally, we went to the last floor exhibit, which was home of the Little Learner Clubhouse. "This is one of my favorite exhibits, Henri," Max pointed out. "Why is that, Max?" Henri asked. "Because this floor has the most interesting exhibits, such as the percussion inside the Little Cleaner Clubhouse," Max explained. As a matter of fact, we all jammed to the percussion inside the clubhouse and explored the clubhouse, despite the fact that this exhibit was mainly created for little kids. After we explored all the different exhibits at the Carnegie Science Center, we went downstairs to the basement for a free Thanksgiving dinner potluck. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, pasta, green beans, rolls, as well as all different kinds of desserts and beverages. "Are you excited about your 30th birthday party coming up next weekend, Sarah?" Alex asked. "Of course I am, Alex," Sarah replied. "What are you planning on getting me for my birthday?" "It's a surprise," Alex pointed out. "I am also sure that we have some very nice clothes picked out for the event, as well," I told my friends. "I can't wait to see what they are." "Well, you will find out next Sunday, Angel," Alex told me. After dinner, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Sarah's Birthday Celebration at Monroeville Mall

The next day, I met up with Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald, at Monroeville Mall for another birthday celebration featuring lots of presents, games, food, and fun. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "Here is 30 dollars for 30 years, and it can be on whatever you want to spend it on, in addition to all of your great new winter gear," I explained. "I also have a great birthday gift for you, Sarah," Alex explained. "Okay, Alex," Sarah agreed. "I can't wait to see what it is." Sarah eagerly unwrapped Alex's birthday gift and saw that Alex made her 2 No Doubt CDs for a birthday present. One of them was Return of Saturn and the other one was Tragic Kingdom. "I was thinking when I recently revisited the first CD that the theme was about Gwen Stefani turning 30 years old, and that fits the idea of you turning that age, as well," Alex explained. "And, Tragic Kingdom also came out in an analog of this year- 1995," I explained. "This is also the 3rd birthday party this year that was celebrated at an arcade." "How does it feel to have your birthday so close to Christmas, Sarah?" Alex asked. "It feels great, since I get double the presents," Sarah explained, "and I got so many amazing presents when we spent Christmas with Angel." "What exactly did you get?" Alex asked. "I don't remember, but it was a lot of cool things for kids and teenagers, along with a delicious Christmas dinner and delightful Christmas carols." A Christmas song was playing in the background. First, we went to StarCade to play some games, including Pac-Man, Doodle Jump, and a few driving games. "What was the 3rd birthday party that was celebrated at an arcade, James?" Justin asked. "I only remember Angel's birthday party and this one." "It was back in June for my 31st birthday, Justin," James explained. "You weren't there." "Oh, okay," Justin agreed. "But hey, at least, we all got to go to Sandcastle together later in the summer in August!" We also checked out some party toys and games at Games Go!, including tabletop games. We also went to one final arcade, which was Ace's Breakaway Arcade. "Are you a big fan of arcade games, Max?" Henri asked. "Of course I am, Henri," Max replied. "My all-time favorite arcades to go to include Scene 75, Zone 28, and Dave and Buster's." "Do you like to win a lot of tickets?" Henri asked. "I know I do." "Of course, I like to play games and win a lot of tickets to buy some neat prizes." The games we played in the arcade were Wheel Win, Fishbowl Frenzy, air hockey, basketball, skeeball, which was one of our favorite games, Dance Dance Revolution, and to top everything off, The Price is Right where we put coins in the machine and we got tickets. After we won our prizes, we headed over to the food court for dinner and birthday cake. Sarah and Alex got turkey subs, baked chips, and apple slices from Subway, James, Justin, and I got Chinese food from China King, and Henri and Max got pepperoni pizza and breadsticks from Sbarro. The birthday cake featured was a cookie cake from TCBY. "I am sorry if this is only mall food, Sarah," Alex explained. "I wanted to have the party at the Sixth Presbyterian Church or a banquet hall with banquet food. But I must admit that turning 30 years old is a pretty big deal, as was the music banquet my senior year of high school!" "At least you still have 4 more years left before you turn 30, Alex," Sarah pointed out. "I would also like to do a tribute to your 30 years on this planet, Sarah," I pointed out. After we ate dinner and cleaned up from the party, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Winter Blues and Uncle Sam's Subs

The next day, I met up with Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends, Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill to have a discussion group on winter blues. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. "I can't believe that the winter season is here once again," Alex stated. "What are your thoughts on all of this?" "I am not a huge fan of winter," I admitted. "The last bad winter moment we had was unusually early in the middle of November," I pointed out. "And, I just wanted to stay inside and get some rest." "You're not alone, Alex," Sarah pointed out. "I get the winter blues a lot, too, especially after my birthday happens at the tail end of fall. By the way, thank you for throwing me that birthday party last weekend! It was a lot of fun." "Oh, you're welcome, Sarah," Alex replied. "I hate driving in the snow, especially when the weather is bad," James stated. "Justin, I was wondering if you drive a car or not." "Of course I do, James," Justin replied. "I just rarely ever use it, except for that one week when Alex's knee was hurt, I had to help drive her to work." "When I was in my support group for the first time, it was a cold and snowy winter day, when not many people showed up," Henri remembered. "Didn't you say that winter was your favorite season, Max?" "It is, Henri," Max replied. "I like to snow tube down hills, but when I was younger, I loved making snow angels, making snowmen, and having snowball fights. However, I do not like falling on the slippery ice and when the snow is too deep, similar to my junior year of high school." "I am just hoping that the worst of the cold occurs in December this year rather than January or February," I told everyone. "But, since we do not have anything going on in the Pacific this year, the weather is harder than ever to predict!" I paused for a moment. "I mean, who wouldn't want a white Christmas?" "I am on the same page with you, Angel," Alex told me. "But since we got snow in November, and winter came early, then I hope that means an early spring!" "Well, the fall season this year was nice, too," Sarah added, "but sometimes, November, especially late November, can be unseasonably wintry." After our discussion group on winter blues, we headed to Uncle Sam's Subs across the street for dinner. "I just don't feel like driving all the way to the Waterfront tonight," Alex admitted. "I am sorry, guys. But, I have some important things to do later tonight, and I just want to go home and go to bed!" We then ordered our dinners. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger sub, Alex ordered a Chef's Salad, Justin ordered a mushroom cheese steak sub, Max ordered a Special Steak sub with everything on it, Henri ordered a bacon cheeseburger sub, James ordered a Steak and Cheese sub, and Sarah ordered a Turkey Breast sub. "I still wanted to eat healthy because ever since after that trip to Kennywood Park my senior year, I have been trying to watch how much junk food I eat," Alex stated. "Lucky you," I stated. "You probably don't have to worry about wearing Plus Sizes like me!" "Speaking of which, I am STILL trying to find a job, and it is not easy," Alex told us. "Why is it so hard for you to find a job and for the rest of us to get jobs?" I asked Alex. "Maybe, because the global market economy is bad, Angel," Sarah explained to me. "But, you don't understand, Sarah," I explained. "Alex used to be one of the Top 10 students in her class at MSG Academy." After dinner was over, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Christmas Party in Squirrel Hill

The next day, I met up with Sarah, James, and Henri, as well as some of my other best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald at the Sixth Presbyterian Church in Squirrel Hill for a Christmas party. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. There were Christmas decorations hung all over the banquet room and Christmas music playing in the background. Not to mention, there was lots of great food to eat, such as fried chicken, pizza, pineapple-flavored macaroni and cheese, a fruit tray, chips and dips, cobb salad, potatoes, all sorts of Christmas cookies, and of course, a Christmas tree-shaped cake. "You are so elegant most of the time, Alex," Sarah stated. "I love this banquet room in this church." "I thought that you would like it, Sarah," Alex remarked. "Our friendship goes back a long time to when we celebrated just about every holiday together, including my birthday," I pointed out, "and especially that one year in Station Square where I ate a very special birthday dinner and we split a very special birthday sundae." "Hey, what about me?" Alex asked. "You too, Alex," I pointed out. "Especially how nice it was of us to go to Kennywood one last time before you went up to Edinboro University, and we also stayed overnight in a hotel at the Renaissance." "Wow, we must have all had some really great times together," Sarah remarked. "I actually got my idea of some of my favorite things to do, places to go, and foods to eat, all from that one celebration," Alex admitted. "I knew that," I remarked. I also got some really nice CDs and DVDs from Sarah and Alex. "What else are we going to do at the party, Justin?" James asked. "After we give a speech on Christmas music, we are each going to perform a Christmas song on our instruments. Do you want to help me sing along to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", James?" Justin asked. "Sure," James replied. "How does the gift exchange work, Max?" Henri asked. "It is almost like a Chinese auction, Henri," Max explained. "You can just take a gift that somebody has brought, and once you take it, it is yours!" After we ate dinner and snacks, Alex, Justin, and Max started things off with a speech on Christmas music and Christmas parodies, which Alex also recorded on her computer to upload to YouTube. Four performances followed the speech, which were me performing "Deck the Halls" with my band, Sarah singing along to Alex's rendition of "What Child Is This?" on her flute, James singing along to Justin's rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on his trumpet, and Henri singing along to Max's rendition of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," on his French horn. When the performances were over, we participated in the gift exchange, in which I received another DVD from Alex. After the party was over, Sarah, James, and Henri drove me back to my mom's apartment in Highland Park. "Thanks for a great day, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"


End file.
